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How To Freeze Cooked Fresh Figs

If you plan to freeze cooked figs with tender and delicate flesh and a short shelf life, so that they can be used later, read on. You would have observed that fresh figs last only for about 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator. Moreover, they bruise and discolor easily. But in spite of all this, figs can be frozen and preserved for over 3 months. The trick of preserving fresh figs for a long time is to cook it prior to freezing. Once cooked, fresh figs can frozen and used whenever required in jams, preserves etc.

Step to be Followed to Freeze Cooked Figs

Buy fresh figs from the market.

Rinse them in cool water.

Remove stems from figs.

Peel figs.

Take water in a saucepan and warm it.

Place peeled figs in warm water and bring the water to boil.

Let figs simmer for 3 to 4 minutes.

Remove saucepan from heat and drain out water.

Cool figs.

Place cooled figs in airtight containers or freezer bags and keep in freezer.

The cooked fresh figs can be pureed and frozen if you plan to use them later as dessert toppings.

It is generally believed that freezing figs devalues them since freezing figs without cooking them would lead to rupture of cell wall resulting in thawed fruits exhibiting a mushy, unpalatable texture. Another very important aspect that has to be considered while if you are not planning to freeze cooked figs, but freezing them directly is that they are prone to discoloration like apples and peaches. Thus, an acid treatment becomes mandatory. Freezing cooked figs does not lead to change in texture or color on thawing.

Other Ways of Freezing Figs

Figs can be frozen directly too.

Figs are washed, stem removed and peeled. They are sliced or frozen whole after dipping in acid wash.

Figs can be frozen in syrup. The effect is similar to freezing cooked figs. Sugar syrup is prepared by boiling sugar and water. Figs are packed in containers and cooled sugar syrup is poured over them leaving space for expansion. In this type of freezing, acid wash step can be avoided and instead lemon juice can be added to avoid discoloration.

Figs can be frozen individually and transferred to freezer bags to be preserved and eaten later. Arrange figs on wax paper and freeze solid. Transfer to re-sealable bag. Thaw and consume when desired.

Freeze cooked figs to use them as toppings for puddings, desserts and ice creams. Freezing figs without cooking would make them softer when thawed.